Listen to Robert Emmerich introduce The Big Apple, a hit song from 1937. Music written by Bob and performed by Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven with Bob on piano. Lyrics written by Buddy Bernier and sung by Edythe Wright. Audio provided by Dorothy Emmerich.

From "9 a.m. to 5 p.m." is the familiar time for work. "9 to 5" was also the title of a popular song and film (1980) of Dolly Parton. "From Nine to Five" was the title of a 1940s-1960s cartoon by Jo Fischer of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The 1933 novel From Nine to Five, by Mary Badger Wilson, chronicles life in New York City.

However, a 1923 essay by acclaimed local wit Robert Benchley was also titled "From nine to five." Did Benchley coin or popularize this?

A. n. The period of time (or the hours) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., representing the hours worked during a standard office day; (by extension) a person who works routinely between these hours; work or a job occupying these hours; the routine imposed by this.

B. adj. Usu. with hyphen. Designating a routine, lifestyle, etc., centred around a standard office day lasting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., esp. to express an idea of boredom and predictability. Also: designating a (conventionally minded) person committed to such a lifestyle.

1956 Canad. Jrnl. Econ. & Polit. Sci. 22 50 He is almost never free, though he may not be burdened with a nine-to-five routine. 1961 Oxf. Mag. 4 May 318/2 The so called '9 to 5' atmosphere and routine.

In 1973 a group of office workers in Boston got together to talk about issues which had no name—sexual harassment, work/family challenges, and pay equity. From this beginning 9to5 emerged as the national organization dedicated to putting working women's issues on the public agenda. 9to5's consituents are low-wage women, women in traditionally female jobs, and those who've experienced any form of discrimination. Membership is open to all. Now in its fourth decade, 9to5's mission is to strengthen women's ability to win economic justice.

19 February 1933, Charleston (WV) Daily Mail, pg. 7:Study of New York Life

"From Nine to Five," by Mary Badger Wilson, is a study of New York life in recognizable terms. Jane Pendleton's problems and perplexities are real, and her job in an office no mere five-finger exercise while waiting to be tapped for the "Vanities." She does not escape the man-made loneliness of the city, but she finds strength in its man-made splendor. She realizes that New York is a training school for the business of living and not a parade ground ofr her charms. "From Nine to Five" offers you a romance in which freshness is not adulterated with synthetic sophistication. It answers the cynic's complaint that "there is no adventure in middle-class life."